FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
There’s still time to train: Pick your distance, take on an Austin fall tradition and make your miles matter on November 8.
AUSTIN, Texas — November will be here before you know it. The good news? There’s still time to get race-day ready.
On Sunday, November 8, Run For The Water returns to the streets of Austin with a 10-Miler, 5K and Kids K. Whether you’re chasing a PR, looking for your next running goal or ready to tackle your first race, there’s a starting line waiting for you.
And it’s a pretty great way to experience Austin.
From downtown to Tarrytown, from the hills to the water, Run For The Water delivers a beautiful course with a flat, speedy finish across the South First Street Bridge. Add the Austin skyline, cheering crowds and the sound of Burundian drummers at the finish, and you’ve got a race morning worth training for.
Pick your distance. Start training. We’ll see you in November.
For 10-Milers, the signature 600-meter Hill Challenge adds a friendly race within the race, with every 10-Miler automatically entered and the fastest runners crowned at the Winner’s Circle. The 10-Miler will also serve as an RRCA Championship event.
And because this year marks Run For The Water’s 20th anniversary, race morning will bring a little extra celebration, including special 20th-anniversary medals for participants.
“For me, running has always been about more than the miles,” said Gilbert Tuhabonye, co-founder of the Gazelle Foundation and Run For The Water. “Running brings people together. For 20 years, Austin has shown up to run with us, and those miles have helped bring clean water to communities in Burundi. That connection between Austin and Burundi is what makes this race so special.”
A RACE THAT GOES BEYOND THE FINISH LINE
Run For The Water is a great race in its own right. But what makes it different is what happens because people show up.
Race proceeds support the Gazelle Foundation’s work building sustainable, gravity-fed clean water systems in Burundi. The systems use Burundi’s natural landscape to move clean water from protected spring sources through miles of pipeline to storage tanks and community tap stands—without pumps or electricity.
Local workers are hired to help construct each system, creating paid employment while developing firsthand knowledge of how the systems work and how to maintain them. When construction is complete, ownership is formally transferred to the community.
In other words, a Sunday morning doing something good for yourself can do something good far beyond Austin.
“Run For The Water is absolutely a race—we want people to train, chase a PR, take on the hills and have a great time doing it,” said Mason Wheeless, Race Director, Run For The Water. “But there’s something pretty extraordinary about knowing that while you’re doing something good for yourself, your miles are also helping make clean water possible for someone in Burundi.”
The race’s signature Hill Challenge captures that connection in a single idea:
Every step up a hill here shortens the walk for someone in Burundi—from four miles to just 400 meters.
PICK YOUR DISTANCE
Chasing a 5K PR? Ready to step up to the 10-Miler and earn some serious bragging rights? Training for a late-fall half or marathon and looking for the perfect race-day tune-up? Run For The Water has a race for your fall goals. And the Kids K gives Austin’s youngest runners their own chance to experience the energy of race day.
Not in Austin? The Global Run lets participants join from anywhere in the world.
Choose your race. Start training. November 8, we run for water.
RUN FOR THE WATER
Sunday, November 8, 2026
Austin, Texas
10-Miler | 5K | Kids K | Global Run
One Race. A Lifetime of Change.
Registration and information: RunForTheWater.com
ABOUT THE GAZELLE FOUNDATION
The Gazelle Foundation works to improve lives in Burundi by providing access to clean water through the construction of gravity-fed water systems. Working alongside communities and employing local workers, the Foundation builds sustainable systems designed for local ownership and long-term use.
Media Contact
Courtney Waldren
Executive Director, Gazelle Foundation
courtney@gazellefoundation.org
512-520-6943
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